Posts Tagged ‘rape’

Shiney Ahuja’s character in Sudhir Mishra’s Hitman has been changed from an assassin to a repentant assassin, lest the role hampers his case

By Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 06, 2009)

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, who has been a mentor and friend to Shiney Ahuja, has once again proved his affection for the actor. Sudhir, who is doing Hitman with the actor, is shaping Shiney’s lead role in the film in such a way that it doesn’t harm his precarious position vis-à-vis the judiciary.

Sudhir Mishra

Shiney Ahuja

The actor is out on bail after being imprisoned for alleged charges of raping his domestic help.

Confirming the news, Sudhir says, “Hitman is the story of an assassin who looks back on his violent life the day that he thinks he will die. We will certainly not show him in a light that will hamper his case or image. My writer, Vinitesh is putting together the character in a way that it doesn’t clash with Shiney’s interests. In my film, he is a repentant hitman. We want the law to take its course, but at the same time, we want Shiney to feel he is part of the mainstream.”

Sudhir, who speaks regularly with Shiney, who’s now in Delhi, says the actor had not quite recovered from his 100-day trauma. “He probably never will. No one can fully recover from such an ordeal. But at least friends should make him feel welcome and comfortable. If, as you say, he is being ostracised, then it’s really sad. Now that he is out, Shiney needs to lead a normal life, which he is struggling with currently. At the moment, he’s struggling hard to get back to being the way he was. I introduced Shiney because I had full faith in him as an actor and a human being. The only reason Shiney is not in my recent films is because he didn’t suit the roles.”

Shiney Ahuja’s wife Anupam is ecstatic on the actor being granted bail after serving prison term for three months for allegedly raping his maid

By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 02, 2009)

Shiney Ahuja

•

Did you anticipate that Shiney would get bail yesterday?

Honestly, I always went with a positive and open mind. Every time I used to feel ki ho jayega.• What was special about yesterday that made it happen?

I would attribute it to our daughter, Arshiya. We hadn’t seen her since a long time as she was in Delhi. It was only six days ago, on September 27 that she came to Mumbai. It was her second birthday on September 28. She brought luck and her father was freed.

• How did you react when you heard that Shiney has been granted bail?

I was overwhelmed, I started crying. I can’t tell you how happy and relieved I am feeling right now.

• How are you planning to meet Shiney — with a hug or a kiss?

(Laughs) We will definitely hug. I imagine it will be a family picture with my daughter, parents and parents-in-law also being there.

• Has the ordeal brought you and Shiney closer?

Yes, but that would have happened to any couple. There were funny stories about us and Shiney bore the brunt of it.

• Are you not planning to return to the US (where she works). Will you continue staying in India with Shiney?

US can wait. That’s not a priority. I will be with Shiney — be it in Delhi or Mumbai.

• Did you pray fervently for your husband’s freedom?

Of course, I used to go to Siddhivinayak every Tuesday and did many other things. My prayers have been answered. I want to thank the people from the film industry and everybody who stood by me. Ashoke Pandit, in particular, was like a rock by my side. I would also like to thank my lawyers — Shrikant Shivde, Neha Bhide, Manoj Mohite and Shirish Gupte.

Anupam Ahuja

• How is Shiney’s health now?

He had a severe back problem on September 25. That was the last time I met him. He will be out of jail on Saturday. I am just dying to meet him.

• Do you feel dejected that Shiney has been directed to stay out of Mumbai?

Not at all. I respect the law and have faith in the judiciary system. We will be fine in Delhi where our parents reside.

• Will Shiney return to films?

Of course. Why would he go anywhere else? He will abide by the law and work wherever the law permits him to go.

Swati Deshpande | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 2, 2009)

Mumbai: Three-and-a-half months after he was arrested for allegedly raping his maid in his own bedroom, actor Shiney Ahuja won bail from the Bombay high court on Thursday after his lawyer argued that there were inconsistencies in the rape complaint. He was, however, asked to leave Mumbai and stay in Delhi until he is required for the trial.

The 36-year-old actor’s jail stay will not end for at least another day. As the court order and the subsequent paperwork was not complete by the end of office hours and thanks to the holiday for Gandhi Jayanti on Friday, Shiney will finally step of Arthur Road jail only on Saturday, said his lawyers.

Apart from setting a bail amount of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount, Justice A P Deshpande said the actor should surrender his passport and warned him against offering inducement to witnesses, directly or indirectly, and tampering with evidence.

Mumbai: He’s a “small-time actor’’, and while he may be no “saint’’, he’s “no rapist’’ either. This is what actor Shiney Ahuja’s lawyers said, seeking bail pending trial on charges of raping his 20-year old maid at his Andheri home one morning.

In a fresh bid for freedom after spending more than 100 days in jail, the 35-yearold actor–through his counsel Shirish Gupte along with Shrikant Shivade–said the “victim has not even used the word ‘rape’ in her statement to the magistrate regarding the June 14 incident’’. She “had no external injuries, creating doubts over her claim that she resisted him’’, they said. The complainant had called Ahuja many times from her cellphone the previous night, said Gupte.

Forensic experts have said earlier that the absence of external injuries did not mean there was no rape. A woman could be forced into the act by the threat of violence, experts reasoned.

The panchnama noted that when he was arrested on June 15, Ahuja’s left wrist and right little finger had a “nail mark’’ which the actor claimed were sustained while he was working out, and not from the victim’s nails.

The DNA analysis showed no profile was obtained from the victim’s vulval swab, but did find some evidence to match Ahuja’s “control blood component’’ in one of her smear slides. “The reports fail to conclusively establish rape,’’ Ahuja’s plea said, suggesting it was “a consensual act’’.

Saying bail was a rule and not an exception as held in numerous Supreme Court judgements, Gupte said even medical evidence had “little against the actor’’. There was “no semen and blood’’ found on the victim in the panchanama on his or her clothes and at the scene of offence, he added.

Ahuja’s bail was rejected by the sessions court in July on the grounds that he may tamper with the witness because he was “rich and influential’’. But Gupte said: “How is he influential? He has just made his name in a few films. Besides she stays in Raigad district and will only come for the trial. He doesn’t know where she is.’’

The written bail plea, however, describes Ahuja as a “well-known film personality, having won several professional awards… with roots in society’’.

The hearing will continue in the court of Justice A P Deshpande on Wednesday, when the prosecutor will oppose the bail plea.

The maid had narrated the entire incident of “forcible sexual intercourse’’ to neighbours Adarsh Gupta and Sanjeet Kaur. The neighbours then took her to the police station at Oshiwara to file the complaint.

The Sewri fast-track court on Friday directed jail authorities to provide immediate medical relief to actor Shiney Ahuja, who is behind bars for allegedly raping his maid, after his application seeking treatment.

Following a slip disc, Ahuja was seen crying and wincing in pain when produced in court. Thirty-six-year-old Ahuja, who was unable to walk, was assisted into the courtroom by two constables. He was later brought outside and made to sit on a bench where he lay down, quivering, following which his lawyer Sameer Nangre moved a plea seeking medical treatment at the earliest.

The court directed jail authorities to provide the actor immediate medical relief and shift him to J J Hospital, if necessary, for further treatment. The court was expected to pass an order on Friday on an application filed by Ahuja’s lawyer seeking copies of the forensic report, but the matter was adjourned to October 7.

Vijay V Singh | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 13, 2009)

Mumbai: The police have filed a 109-page charge sheet against Shiney Ahuja on Tuesday, charging him with rape, wrongful confinement and threatening his maidservant at his residence in Lokhandawla on June 14.

Ahuja has been remanded to judicial custody till August 13. The sessions court earlier rejected his bail plea, saying there was prima facie evidence to show that a serious offence had been committed.

The charge sheet contained medical and forensic reports and statements of the witnesses, including those who helped the maid to file a complaint at the Oshiwara police station.

The police also recorded the statement of the victim and a witness before the magistrate to strengthen the case and their statements were part of the charge sheet. Additional commissioner of police (west region) Amitabh Gupta confirmed the development.

The maid had told the police that Ahuja called her into his room on June 14, saying he needed water. He then locked the room and raped her.

The actor also locked her inside the room for a few hours before allowing her to leave the flat, she had ‘alleged’. She came to the ground floor in one of the lifts where some witnesses saw her crying and she narrated the entire episode to them.
Medical reports indicated that the actor had intercourse with the victim, officials said, adding that her statement was supported by circumstantial evidence. Forensic experts retrieved semen stains from the maid’s private parts and they matched the actor’s DNA profile, officials had said, adding that it was crucial evidence in the case. A medical examination conducted on the victim had indicated injury marks on her private parts and abrasion on the actor’s right hand, suggesting forced intercourse. The reports are part of the charge sheet.

The victim was a resident of Raigad and came to Mumbai, a few months before the incident. She was staying with relatives in the extended suburbs and was working with the Ahuja family.

Director Ramkumar Kumawat’s office at Jaibhavani Society, Andheri, where the victim claims she was raped on July 22

A 28-year-old struggling artiste has alleged that she was raped by small-time director Ramkumar Kumawat at his Andheri office last week, when she went there to discuss a role.

Kumawat – who produced the film Jai Jagdambe Ma six months ago – was arrested on Sunday morning. His office at Jaibhavani Society near Versova has been sealed.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Dilip Suryawanshi of DN Nagar police station said, “The victim had earlier approached Kumawat for an audition and he’d promised her a role, so she went to his office around 1 pm on July 22. Kumawat asked the victim to get him a glass of water, which was strange considering she was his guest. When she went to get him water, he forced himself on her and raped her.

“The accused then threatened the victim and warned her not to tell anyone about the incident. On Saturday night, she summoned the courage to approach the Versova police. A case has been registered under sections 376 (rape) and 417 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. She was taken to Nagpada Hospital for tests on Sunday.”

Mahesh Kalmaste, secretary of Jaibhavani Society, said, “These tenants did not supply us with their papers before moving in as per the rules, so we do not know much about them. Today, there has been a rape. What next? A meeting will be held this week to make our rules a little more stringent.” Kumavat has been remanded in judicial custody till July 29.